Electric Fence

[fixer1958]

I just wanted to double check here before I started pounding posts.

The plan here is to fence off about 1 1/2 acres 'with strickly electric', part of it is in a treed area. I'm undecided on how many wires to run, probably 3.

I found a 12volt medium weed load charger for $100. I think the unloaded volts were 9k and loaded was 6700.
I would think that would pack enough punch to discourage potential escapee.

My FIL says to use t-post corners, I'm leaning towards wood posts.

I'm not going to run more than 4 pigs to start with.

I need some pointers here.
Some to-do's and not to do's.

[TSYORK]

Per Fi-Shock, I think they recommend a minimum of 2,000 volts for swine. You're well over the standard . However, the hotter the box, the better the results you will acheive with them staying in on a consistent basis. I'm not sure of the voltage rating, but I'm putting a 9-joule unloaded and the loaded was 5.8-joules. If that box doesn't do the trick on keeping them in, then I'll just shoot and butcher, then I'll be out of the pig business.

[fixer1958]

I have a cheap 120v for the chickens that runs about 3k volts on a good day.
The charger that I am looking at ought to blow there ears off. I hope it is good enough, and I do my fencing right. I don't want to be chasing pigs all over the county.

On another good note, I'm still clearing a fence line.
My youngest son (who works for a Bobcat dealership) called today and asked what I was doing. I told about the potential pig setup and what I was attempting to do thru the trees. He say's, "I'll see what I can do".

About 6 tonight I hear a comotion coming down the driveway.
I was dragging brush around at the time. It was his boss delivering a T190 with a root grapple bucket, a new machine at that.
My life just got easier

All I have to do is not break it and make sure it is full of fuel when he takes it back and I can use it as long as I need it.
How sweet is that

[RedneckPete]

I use T posts for the corners as well.

I cut a couple in half, and then smack them almost all the way into the ground at an angle behind the corner T post. I wire the top of the corner T post back to the one I smacked all the way in. The short post acts like a tent peg, holds the corner post upright and tight. Twist the wire to tighten it like a guitar string.

Make sure you use the donut insulators for the corner. The T-post insulators are fine for lineposts, but will pop of the corner posts under the tension of the wire.

Pete

[fixer1958]

Originally Posted by RedneckPete

I use T posts for the corners as well.

I cut a couple in half, and then smack them almost all the way into the ground at an angle behind the corner T post. I wire the top of the corner T post back to the one I smacked all the way in. The short post acts like a tent peg, holds the corner post upright and tight. Twist the wire to tighten it like a guitar string.

Make sure you use the donut insulators for the corner. The T-post insulators are fine for lineposts, but will pop of the corner posts under the tension of the wire.

Pete

I went with woodposts, primarily because I have half of what I needed already and t-posts are the same $ as 4" woodposts.

I'm using diagonal bracing on the corners. It should work ok. I really don't think I can put enough pull on the wire to pivot the posts out of the ground.
They are in the ground as far as my old auger would go and still get it back out. About 3'.
I'm scrounging as much as I can in this new "mission" and still make it work.
Back labor is cheap. The wife howling in my ear about costs isn't.

When 'we' got into poultry, it kind of took on a life of it's own.
I kind of blame my youngest son for that. He brought home a baby duck one day..........the rest is another story.
When I crunch the numbers, I can sell the chicken/duck eggs for $20 each and break even by 2014.

[fixer1958]

I'm running the wires at 7"-17" and 27".
Does that sound about right as far as the wire height?

A 3 wire fence might be redundant, but I'm doing it because I can.

A third of the area will be in timber/brushy area and am just trying to cover my bases.

With the new charger and fencing supplies I shouldn't have more than $300
in the whole thing.
I thought that was good considering the size of area being enclosed.